Beyond the Doric portico of a white stucco neo-classical mansion, this boutique hotel captures the eclectic charms of glamorous and bohemian Notting Hill.

Within a Georgian house in a trendy corner of East London once home to Huguenot silk weavers, Peter McKay and Douglas Blain set out to weave a fantasy of their own.

You can imagine nodding off in an armchair over the latest issue of Samuel Johnson's Idler, or William Hazlitt's polemics in the Tatler, when you step into this time-warp hotel and close the door on trendy Soho. It was here, on a Georgian terrace in the 1820s, that essayist Hazlitt penned his valediction, and antiques and furnishings keep faith with a bygone age.

With the feel of a private club rather than a hotel, this beautifully restored Georgian property lies behind the 18th-century facade of three shop-houses in a once-notorious area that is now filled with hip eateries and bars.

Hip and convivial, this modish Spitalfields wine bar with rooms is a stroll up the colourful street from the Whitechapel Gallery.

Launched by a group of friends, and rejoicing in an ambience inspired by vibrant, bohemian Soho, this family-friendly hotel has exuberant decor, generously equipped bedrooms, a street café, a rooftop bar with wraparound terrace, a classy Italian restaurant and a spirit of sheer joie de vivre.

The epitome of Edwardian grand-hotel luxury, with its liveried doormen, dazzling interiors, glamorous bedrooms, Michelin-starred cooking in the fabulously redesigned dining room, the Goring is, for all its cachet, welcoming and unaffected, with an acre of garden at the rear.

Close to West End shops and theatres, this pub with rooms has a relaxed vibe, a pavement terrace, stripped-back chic style, a first-floor dining room serving modern dishes alongside classics, comfortable bedrooms over three floors, and pleasant, efficient staff.

The designers have gone to town on this family-friendly city sister to Cliveden and Chewton Glen, spread over a row of Georgian townhouses in swanky W1 and filled with playful touches. Some of the luxury suites have a garden terrace, and light bites and small plates are served in the clubby Dandy Bar.

Art Deco interiors, Jazz Age glamour, a cocktail bar with outdoor terrace, the New York-style Colony Grill and a small spa combine to make this hotel at the heart of Mayfair one of London's most desirable.

On the corner of a leafy Pimlico street, this handsome Georgian stuccoed gastropub is a popular neighbourhood drop-in, with four airy bedrooms, an open-plan ground-floor bar serving wood-fired pizzas, an atmospheric basement cocktail bar and first-floor restaurant.

A home away from home in the heart of Chelsea is the aim of these red-brick Victorian townhouses, which have been converted into a luxurious hotel of dazzling individuality.

Handy for Eurostar thanks to its position on a square in vibrant King's Cross, this Victorian townhouse hotel mixes comfort with studied eccentricity – expect upcycled coal-hole covers and repurposed airline trolleys alongside modern air con, smart TVs, good wines and platters in the B&B lounge.

From the library and drawing room to the residents-only roof terrace, and from spa and gym to 1950s bowling alley, this is an exuberant, hip, design-conscious hotel, its bedrooms decorated with a sense of fun, while modern European dishes are served in a vast restaurant and on a heated terrace – all tucked away behind Piccadilly Circus.

Spread across six Georgian townhouses in the shadow of the south tower of One Crown Place, where hip Shoreditch meets the City, this hotel has clubby, inviting interiors with witty modern artworks, richly atmospheric bedrooms, splendid bathrooms, sophisticated Peruvian cuisine, and cocktails in the bar and lounges.

Behind a pristine, Greek Revival-style John Nash exterior, this family-friendly hotel is delightfully razzle dazzle, designed to within an inch of its life, with jazzy bedroom decor, a glamorous basement pool, library, gym, treatment rooms and all-day brasserie.

On a pedestrian street, steps from the Royal Opera House, this Georgian town house is home to four floors of individually styled bedrooms of character – and though they don't serve breakfast, Covent Garden abounds with places to eat and drink.

A Bloomsbury Group theme runs through this lively hotel north of Soho, styled by Kit Kemp, with original artworks from that era, beautifully designed and thoughtfully equipped bedrooms and suites, a lounge, library, heated terrace, all-day dining, and Parisian-style pavement café tables

The ambience evokes a private members' club at this luxury hotel overlooking Buckingham Palace's grounds, with sophisticated chocolate-and-cream bedroom décor, a lounge-cum-dining room supplied with all-day treats, and a choice of dining options at adjoining sister hotel The Rubens.